Plastic composition.



MARY PILANZA, or Boston, MAssAoHUsETTs.

PLASTIC COMPOSITION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 5,1906. Serial No. 315,354.

To all whom it may concern: j

Be it known that I, MARY P. LANZA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plastic Composition,

. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to plastic ,materials and modes oicompounding them, and consists of a new and useful plastic compound suitable for modeling purposes,

which secures all the advantages peculiar to the respousive media heretofore employed in the art of plastic modeling whileeliminating the disadvantages incident to their use.

A plastic composition, in order to serve the uses and :meot the requirements of the artist, must be strongly and uniformly cohesive, but'at the same time must not be adhesive so asto stick to the fingers or tools of the worker;'it must be smooth and homogeneous, and not granulan nor must it, be: composed in whole or in part of substances which decompose and become rancid. Furthermore the perfect plastic composition must be .such as to retain the shape and surface texture given to it by the artist, must not harden or crack after exposure to the air, nor become too soft after handling. Moreespecial care in'us'e, or protection from the atmosphere,

or in any other way distracting the attention of the artist from his work to his medium. It must be also clean to handle. As plastic compositions are invariably worked with the bare hands, and are used to a large extent in schools for modeling and kindergarten work, it is indispensable that they should be wholly harmless to touch, as well as to taste; therefore no poisonous or deleterious preservative may be safely employed. It is apparent, therefore, that the selection and construction ofa fully acceptable plastic composition is a matter of no small dilficulty; all kinds of com promises have been made with the many requirements imposed. upon the plastic material, but so far as I am informed, with no more than partial success. Today, the best available material is modeling clay, mixed 'with water; but even this medium of expression is not without its faults and disadvantages. It dries, cracks,

falls apart, and requires the irequent addition of water which spoils the surface and involves the repetition of 1 or silicjous earth, or earthy material having the physical characteristics oi clay, with petroleum jelly. Pe-

Patented. July 30,1907.

troleum jelly appears under different names, (vaseli ne,

petrolatum, keroline, and others). Vaseline and petrolaturn are the most common commercial names ofthe article whichl have found to be best adapted for my purpose. These two ingredients, clay or clayey earth, and Vaseline, are mixed intimately in proportions (by weight) which vary from two parts Vaseline with'five parts earth; to two parts Vaseline with seven parts earth. I do not restrict the composition to these limits,

but prescribe them as those within which I have obtained the best results. Some variations in proportion will be found advisable to meet the conditions imposed by the materials employed, the general rule to be observed being, that the larger the proportion of Vaseline kaolin with good results. i Sometimesan earth otherwise desirable possesses a tendency to be adhesive in which case I have found it best to add a little filling material, such as sulfur. The function of the filling material is a mechanical one; the filler serves to separate the stickier particles of the mass and prevents them from unduly adhering to the fingers or the tools of the worker. Wheri an unusually smooth grade is required (although this composition is naturally smoother than thecompositions already on jh'e market).1 have added a small quantity of some one of the various non-corrodible waxes, such as paraflin, ozocerite, etc. When a high degree of toughness is required, the mixture may be impr ved in this direction by the addition of a stronger binding material or toughener, such as bauxite or asphaltuni, in quantities regulated tolsuit the degree of toughness or length required. (A composition of this class is long or short, according to the degree it can be drawn out without breaking).

The composition thus prepared is stropgly cohesive, yet not adhesive, does not decompose or become rancid,

is never offensive to the sense of smell, is not materially water, it is superior to this for several reasons, among 'others because the mineral plastic binder is beneficial rather than irritant to the skinof the worker, and pre vents rather than produces the chapped hands with which modelers in clay are so often afi'licted.

What I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: v I

1. A plastic composition, consisting of pulverized earthy matter, and a mineral plastic binder, in intimate mixture. I 2. A plastic composition,,consisting ofpulverized earthy matter, and petroleum jelly, in intimate mixture.

3. A plastic composition, consisting of clay and Vaseline in'intimate mixture.

this third day of May. 1906.

4. A plastic composition consisting of clay, a mineral plastic binder and a toughener of tenacious material all in intimate mixture. I

5. A plastic composition, consisting of pulverized clay, Vaseline, and asphaituin.

6. A plastic composition, consisting of pulverized earthy matter, petroleum jelly, and a filler.

7. A plastic composition, consisting of pulverized earthy matter, a mineral plastic binder, and a wax.

Signed by me at Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts.

MARY I". LANZA.

Witnesses 2 C. D. Woommnni',

Josnrrmm II. RYAN. 

